When Death meets Magicka
by Bosmer
Summary: Isa, the young Listener of the Dark Brotherhood desires a new assignment. When she realizes that the Mages guild stands between her and ultimate power, she decides to eliminate them... Warning: spoilers!
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer: **I do not own the Elder Scrolls or any of the characters from the games._

Chapter 1

A dark hooded figure rode through the night. Her horse's red eyes seemed to glow in the darkness. They went swift and almost seemed to be one with their surrounding. They stopped at a ruined fort, not far from the road. Slowly, the hooded figure walked towards an altar. The red tapestry which decorated it and the strange purple beam revealed it's purpose.

Several months ago, the Dark Brotherhood had recieved a new Listener. Isa, a promising young woman, had become one of the most infamous assassins of their time. Now, she was the Night Mother's messenger. Her time of killing had ended. No longer was she allowed to go on a mission. No longer could she use her dagger and bow. Her nights were cold and lonely, without the warm blood of her targets to please her.

Isa took a couple of soul gems out of her pocket and layed them on the altar. She closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them again and casted the spell. She waited patiently and watched how the soul gems started to change. Their color became darker untill they were completely black. When the magic had ended, she took the black soul gems and put them away.

She had found a new toy to fill the nights. Isa had discovered the ruines a few weeks ago. She had entered the fort with exitement, ready to kill again. It seemed that it was the hide-out of Necromancers. Isa did not know much about them. People experimenting on corpses just didn't sound very interesting. The bodies were no longer alive, their blood had stopped a long time ago. There was no silent fear in their eyes, no resistance... The Necromancers were weak and she had killed them easily. One had been persisting. He had tried to trap her soul. It had opened a new door for her. Was it possible to trap people's soul? Eventually, she had used his power against him. She had obtained her first black soul gem... and her first human soul. Later, she learned how to create the gems by using normal soul gems. And she could do it every eight days. Oh, how much fun it had been to drag someone's soul out of his body! She mostly had trapped outlaws and bandits, with now and then a wandering guard. But now it became rather boring. Isa wanted more! She wanted to know more about Necromancy, more about their mysterious, but fascinating power... But it was hard to learn more about it. Necromancers had to be careful, cautious, because the Mages guild was hunting them.

In that night, while she was thinking about it, she came up with an idea. It was a wonderful idea. She almost started to tremble of exitement when she thought it through. The Mages guild was the only thing between her and her power. Why not destroy it then? It had to be done silently... They should not know what was happening before it was too late. She had to infiltrate them and destroy them from the inside...

She made her way to Cheydinhal. There she would go to the Mages guild and join them!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Isa looked at the big building. Why did every Mages guild have a round, colorful window? The colors of the glas were even brighter than a flower. It sickened her. She shook her head. She could not let herself get irritated by every detail. A pretty dress and a smile would not be enough to persuade these mages. They really had to believe her. She took a deep breath and opened the door. She was immediately greeted by an Argonian woman.

"Hello!" she said cheerful. "What can I do for you?"

"I wish to join the Mages guild," Isa answered, giving the Argonian her warmest smile. The woman nodded.

"Then you will have to talk to Falcar..." she said.

Isa noticed a sudden change in the Argonian's eyes. She was still smiling, but her eyes were less friendly. It seemed that this Falcar was not very popular.

"And who may that be?" Isa asked, still showing a smile.

The woman gestured at an Altmer, who was standing a little further. Isa thanked her and walked to him. He was quite handsome, she had to admit that.

_But he does not know how to dress._

He turned his face towards her when she approached. Isa looked into his grey eyes and was surprised to see that they were cold and hard. There was more to this man than she had expected.

"Yes?" he asked when she stood next to him, raising an eyebrow.

"I want to join the guild," Isa said, looking more serious. A smile would not work here. Falcar stared at her.

"Are you sure you're up to it?" he asked. "You look a little...slow."

_He would be the first to go._ She would happily slit his throat.

"I really want to join," Isa answered. Falcar rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Fine, you're in," he said. "I hope you don't waste my time." He paused for a moment.

"You probably should know about the Arcane University. If you want to go to it, which I doubt you'll ever do, you'll need to have enough recommendations."

Then he just stared at her again with an irritated look, waiting for her to leave. But she wasn't done with him yet.

"What should I do to get your recommendation?" she asked. He sighed again.

"If you really want to do something... Get me my ring back. Some Associate dropped it into our well. Get it for me and I'll give you that recommendation. You'll need a key from Deetsan." He gave a foul look at the Argonian woman. Isa walked back to her, she had nothing more to say against Falcar. She greeted Deetsan with another smile and asked for the key. The Argonian's eyes widened.

"Oh my... Oh my..." she said nervous. Deetsan took Isa's arm and brought her upstairs. When they were alone, she explained herself.

"I really don't want to upset you, dear... But I think Falcar is trying to get you killed..." she whispered. Isa frowned. _He_ was trying to kill _her_? Interesting.

"You see, he asked Vidkun to do the same. And we never saw him again!"

"I can take care of myself..." Isa said. She tried not to smile. Which seemed to be a simple task, turned out to be more complicated.

"Still, be careful..." Deetsan answered. She gave Isa the key and went away.

Isa went outside, to the well. It was not far, just right behind the building. Isa wondered why the well was locked in the first place. What was Falcar hiding? She opened the lock and climed down. She dove into the water and looked around. She quickly found what she was looking for. The man lying on the bottom of the well had to be Vidkun. And he was wearing the ring. She swam to him and took it off his finger. As soon as she had it, it sunk and pulled her to the down. Isa's eyes widened as she realised how brilliant Falcar had been. The ring was extremely heavy. Falcar expected that she would drown, just as Vidkun had. But she wouldn't. She could hold her breath for ten minutes. It would not be simple, but she would get that ring to Falcar. She swam back and dragged herself up. Soaked, she returned to the guild. Again she was greeted by Deetsan.

"I'm so sorry, so sorry..." she said.

"What's wrong, Deetsan?" Isa asked. Did the woman really have to be this annoying?

"He's gone! Falcar is gone! I confronted him about the ring and Vidkun's dissapearing... He left! And look what I found in his room!" She showed Isa two black soul gems. Isa gasped.

"I know!" Deetsan responded. "It's terrible!"

_Terrible indeed._

Falcar was a Necromancer and she had let him go!

"Anyhow, I wrote a recommendation for you," Deetsan continued. "You deserve it.'

Isa smiled. This was going perfect...


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The next town she would go to was Bruma. She did not like it there very much. It was too cold. But she had to, she had to get into the University.

The Mages guild of Bruma seemed smaller and less important. Isa entered and walked towards a woman behind the counter.

"Hello there!" the woman shrieked when Isa smiled at her. "You're new here, aren't you? Oh, I love to meet new people!"

Really, this woman was even more annoying than Deetsan had been. The high tone of her voice made Isa's ears pop.

"My name is Jeanne," the woman continued. "What can I do for you?"

"I need your recommendation," Isa simply answered.

"My recommendation? You need _my_ recommendation? Sure! If you help me with a little thingie, I will write it immediately!"

"What do I have to do?"

"J'skar dissapeared... He just vanished... Volanaro thinks a spell back-fired... I'm worried about him. If you find him, you'll get my recommendation."

Isa smiled. This reminded her of the Draconis-family. She had to find the target, do some investigating... Joining the Mages guild was the best thing she had ever done. And in the end, she would kill them all.

Now she had to concentrate on her task. She decided to ask Volanaro first. Luckily, he was nearby.

"Like I said, his spell back-fired. Yes, that's what happened."

Isa frowned, he was hiding something from her.

"Are you sure?" she asked. "Jeanne is quite worried about him."

"Jeanne? She could not even cast herself out of a paper sack!" Volanaro hissed.

"Don't you like Jeanne?" Isa asked and grinned.

Volanaro looked at her and noticed the strange look in her eyes. He bend over to her ear.

"If you help me with a little...prank..., I'll help you to find J'skar," he whispered.

"I'm listening," Isa answered, still grinning.

"Good, good!" Volanaro said exited. "I need Jeanne's Manual of Spellcraft. It's in her desk upstairs."

Isa nodded. A theft was simple. She had done worse, much worse...

She walked up the stairs and entered the room. She left the door open, to spice things up. Silently she went to the desk. It was a very easy lock, she could open it in no time. Then she grabbed the manual and went to Volanaro.

"Wonderful!" he said when she handed it over. "Meet me at 10 p.m. in the living quarters..."

Isa nodded again. It was already evening, so she would not have to wait very long. When the time had come, she went downstairs for the meeting. Volanaro was standing in a room and smiled when he saw her. He closed the door behind her when she had entered.

"Just watch..." he said mysteriously. He raised his hands and casted a spell. Immediately, J'skar appeared. Isa grinned again. Now she understood. They were just some fouls who wanted to mess with Jeanne's head. She would probably not even have to kill them. She stayed silent and turned around, leaving the room. Volanaro and J'skar looked at each other and both thought the same.

_Strange woman._

Isa went looking for Jeanne and found her in her room upstairs. She was still up, searching her drawers and closets. She looked up when she noticed Isa.

"Oh, hello... Don't mind me... I seem to have misplaced something. I heard you found J'skar. That's a good thing, right? I'll write that recommendation. Now excuse me, I have to keep searching."

Isa left Bruma with a grin on her face. She enjoyed this.


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you, Necromancer Staff, for the review. I'm glad you like it! Since I'm in a good mood, I'm updating quite fast at the moment.**

Chapter 4

A new day had begun when Isa reached Chorrol. Again she would have to work with an Argonian, this time a male named Teekeeus. He was a grumpy one and seemed the opposite of the friendly Deetsan. Isa barely greeted him, but came straight to the point.

"You want my recommendation? I can't write it just like that. Those are the rules. You'll have to do something for it." He paused a moment and thought about it. "Alright, you may assist me with an small issue. You'll have to speak with Earana. We have an unpleasant history, you see... She does not approve my methods... Now she is seen in town and I know she is up to something. You will talk to her and find out what it is."

_How amusing..._

How more Isa learned about the Mages guild, how more she started to like it. They were not very different of Necromancers. The guild was based on lies, tricks and spies. And now she knew they were divided, it would be easy to crush them.

Earana was an Altmer woman. She happened to be right outside the Mages guild, very convenient. Isa did not have to do much, since Earana told her everything almost right away.

"You are from the Mages guild... Still, you seem to be different..." she said. "I want you to do something for me... I need a book. It's called Fingers of the Mountain, it's located on the Cloud Top. I don't know exact where to find that, but that would not be a problem for you."

I agreed to find it for her and walked away. When she wasn't looking anymore, I went back to the Mages guild to inform Teekeeus.

"She wants that book? And she knows where to find it? We have to get it before she does! Cloud Top you say? Mh, I know where that is."

He took a map and showed Isa where to find it. It was North of Chorrol, in the mountains.

"Go there and find that book! When you have it, bring to me. To me, understood? Not to Earana!"

Isa left with Shadowmere to Cloud Top. She took the road up North, so she would get as close as possible to the mountains. From there, it would be a difficult path. Even her horse Shadowmere was exhausted when they finally reached the place. Isa looked at the ruines as she guided Shadowmere closer. There was not much to see, actually. There was no door or altar, it was just a platform with a few pillars. Isa searched some chests, but could not find the book. Then she suddenly saw it, lying next to charred remains. She went closer and picked up the book, keeping her eyes on the corpse. She wondered how this could have happened. Her question was answered immediately. Something hit her back as she was looking at the corpse. She hissed angry and turned around to face the attacker. The winged creature in the distance casted another fire spell at her. She quickly avoided it and jumped aside. Shadowmere ran at the Imp, defending her master. The Imp now turned his attention to the horse, which gave Isa some time to think. Could an Imp really have done this? She doubted it... The creature was taken out rather easily... Shadowmere returned to her, the red eyes glowing with victory. Isa smiled and patted the horse on her flank. Then she looked once more at the body. What could be this powerful? She took the book again and stared at it.

_Could it be?_

She noticed that the book was sealed. Isa tried to open it, but whatever she did, it did not move. Frowning of frustration, she decided to take it back to Teekeeus. He would have to explain what was going on...


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

_Darn selfish Argonian…_

Isa ordered another bottle of Greef. Emfrid, the owner of the Grey Mare, gave it to her.

"Bad day?" she asked. Isa growled.

"Indeed..." she answered.

Teekeeus had not told her a thing about the book. He had only grinned at her and left her that way.

_Stupid lizard._

He would pay for it.

Isa looked up as the door of the tavern opened. A smile appeared on her face when she saw who it was. Earana, just the person she needed. When the Altmer woman saw her, she came to her. She did not seem very happy.

"You!" she said angry. "You gave the book to Teekeeus! Foul! Now the secret of it's power is lost!"

Isa stared at her with a grin. It seemed that Earana did want to tell her more. Isa crossed her legs.

"If you tell me more about it, I'll get it back..." she said. Now Earana was staring at her.

"Would you do that? Splendid! Get me that book and I'll see what I can do for you."

Isa nodded.

"Deal..."

She stood up immediately. The sooner she got that book, the sooner she would get her new power.

Isa looked around the library of the Mages guild, but could not find what she was looking for. Teekeeus had said he wanted to keep it safe... Then where could it be? Her eyes turned to the door of the living quarters. His room perhaps? She went up and found his bedroom open. The Argonian was nowhere to be found. She did not even have to pick the lock! This was easier than she had thought. She quickly grabbed the book and ran back to Earana. When she gave it to her, the Altmer's eyes started to twinkle, as if she gave candy to a child.

"Marvelous!" she said, staring at it. "Give me a few hours to translate it and I'll tell you what I know..."

Isa sighed. Did she really have to wait again? Isa never had been a person with much patience. She decided to rent a room for the night. Tomorrow, Earana would be ready.

_**My dear helper: **_

_**Most of the text you've given me is well beyond your comprehension, I'm afraid. I found one section, however, that had been appended by the keepers of the Imperial Watch, and their notes will be of use to you. **_

_**Return to the ruins of Cloud Top. There you should find a section of pillar that looks remarkably unlike any other stonework present. The carvings on this pillar were made by the Ayleids, and the pillar has been infused with significant power. **_

_**The following was scribbled in the margins of the book, presumably by the same men who took the pillar from its original resting place. The notes are smeared in places, so I have included what I could decipher. Do note that this sounds rather dangerous, and take whatever precautions you feel are necessary.**_

Isa read through the notes Earana had written for her. Finally she would discover what the book was about. Finally she would recieve the power that Teekeeus had tried to hide from her. She did not care about danger. It could be no more dangerous than her own adventures. And besides, if she wanted to become more powerful, she had to do this.

_**"... only seems to function outdoors, where it reacts strongly to magic... terrible power, capable of striking a man dead on the spot..."**_

Ofcourse! Now she understood what had happened to the man on Cloud Top. Such amazing power! And it would be hers!

_**"...transported the stone to a secure location, in order to study it more fully..." **_

_**"...guild wizards brought in to focus power of stone. Several severely injured; stone finally 'tuned' to react to shock magic..." **_

_**"...Welkynd stone necessary to harness stone's power. Success means powers of shock unattainable through other means. "**_

Guild wizards?

So the Mages guild knew this power existed! Teekeeus probably did not want that people would use it. Isa laughed. But she would use it! And for a cause!

_**From these notes, and the original Ayleid inscriptions, it seems that our Imperial friends were attempting to harness some degree of the Ayleid's magical power, and were marginally successful. I suggest you procure a Welkynd stone for yourself (searching Ayleid ruins will likely be the quickest method of acquiring one) and return to Cloud Top to cast a shock spell at the pillar. **_

_**What happens then, I think you can comprehend on your own. **_

_**-E**_

Now Isa did not laugh anymore... A Welkynd stone... Those were easily found, but not without risking your life. It was commonly known that Ayleid ruins were full of traps. Isa thought about it. What was the nearest ruin she could think of? There was Ninendava, North-East of Chorrol... No, it was the home of vampires. She did not want to get vampirism... Morada then, in the East? She nodded to herself and put away the notes. She would ride to Morada and fetch a stone.


	6. Chapter 6

**Good to see you again, Derby!**

**And thanks again for the reviews, Necromancer! **

Chapter 6

Isa reached Morada a few hours later. She checked her bow and held her dagger in her hand. She hoped she would find a Welkynd stone soon and that she did not have to stay in the ruin too long.

_You never know what may happen..._

The big stone door opened slowly. Carefully she went inside and casted a light spell to be able to see something. She knew that Welkynd stones were used as light source, but it was very dark, so there weren't any around. Suddenly she stopped. Something had moved. Her light spell ended and she waited. First she had to know what the noise had been, before she would cast it again. Then she saw what is was: a troll... These ruins were not abandoned, trolls were using it as shelter. But how many were there? Anyway, this one would not be able to alarm anyone...

Isa closed her eyes and tried to remember the words of a fire spell. She would have to be quick, the fire ball would draw the monster's attention. But it was a very powerful spell and if she was lucky, it would kill it instantly. Whispering the words, a fire ball appeared in her free hand. The troll turned it's eyes towards the light. He growled when he saw her and started to run. Isa stretched out her hand, sending the fire ball at him. There was an explosion and the troll flew against a wall.

_Good, he's not moving..._

Another growl reached her ears. She cursed and started to run forward. It seemed that there were two. And this one did warn the others. Isa ran as fast as she could, looking around every corner.

_Where's the darn stone?_

She was surprised by a troll coming out of a room and it jumped at her, knocking her to the ground. She gave a yell and stabbed the creature in the chest with her dagger. It moaned and fell, blocking her with his body weight. She cursed again and pushed it away, which took her some time. She stood up again and needed a few seconds to look around. From which direction did she come from? It was too dark to tell... She felt trapped. Panicking for just a minute, she chose a direction, not knowing if it was right or not. It seemed to be the right one, since the trolls came towards her and not from behind. She casted as many fire spells as she could, killing several in one blow. Then she switched to her bow and shot the remaining trolls down.

She wanted to get out of here immediately, but she could not leave without a stone... Finally she reached a room. There were stairs leading to another level and Isa could see the soft blue glow from the stones. There were several in a row, standing in a pedestal. She let out a cry of victory and ran up the stairs. Now she could use the light spell again. She grabbed the nearest Welkynd stone and turned around. Not all the trolls were dead yet, she figured there still would be many around, but she did not care. The only thing she would do now is run to the exit. Holding the stone in her left hand and her dagger in the right, she ran through the tunnels. She had to reach the exit before the light spell ended, or at least know where she was when it happened. She was not able to cast a spell at the moment. The trolls were chasing her, she could feel their foul breath in her neck. Luckily, she was faster...

Isa laughed when she saw the stone door. She had left it open, so she could leave. Outside she pushed against the door with her shoulder, closing it before the trolls had reached her. Breathing heavily, she went to Shadowmere and put the Welkynd stone in the sadlebag.

On her way to Cloud Top, she went through Earana's notes again. She had the Welkynd stone... Was there anything else she needed? There was something about shocks and lighting... Isa knew a shock spell. It wasn't a very powerful one, but it would do. If she only knew what she had to expect...

_We'll see when we get there..._


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

The road back to the temple seemed shorter. Had Sithis cleared her path or was she just driven? How this had happened, she did not know, but she reached Cloud Top sooner than imagined. She stood before the pillar and examined it. There were indeed some strange writings on it.

_So now what?_

She held the Welkynd stone in her left hand. Did she just have to cast a shock spell?

_That's it?_

Isa took a deep breath. Whatever would happen, she was ready.

_Here we go..._

She was wrong. She was not ready for what came next. As soon as she casted the spell, it seemed to back-fire. But her spell had been weak, this felt as if lightning struck her. She screamed out of pain. Shadowmere shrieked in panick. The scent of burned flesh reached Isa's nostrils. Her own burning flesh. She fell to her knees. An image of the charred remains flashed before her eyes. Would she die here as well?

_No! Not when I'm this close!_

Gathering all the strength she had left, she rose. The pain was unbearable. She had to do something or she would die. She casted a restoration spell. It was not one of her best skills, but it gave her a moment of relieve and made her able to think. She reached into her robe and took out a flask. Every movement she made was painful, even when she opened the flask it hurted. She drank the liquid and felt it's healing powers flow through her body. Slowly the pain lessened and her skin started to heal. One potion was not enough to heal her completely, but she was glad she could move again. While the shock wore off, Isa became aware of a new sensation. The lightning had become knowledge. She knew how to cast it... Isa laughed, no longer caring abour her injuries. Shadowmere calmed down at her sudden happiness and came towards her. Isa kept laughed as she climed on the horse's back. And she laughed the whole time back to Chorrol.

* * *

Teekeeus woke. He sat up and stared into the darkness. Something had woken him, but he could not see it. He listened, but his ears did not hear any sound. He shook his head.

_Nothing... It's nothing..._

Maybe he had a bad dream... The Argonian never remembered his dreams, not even while he had just awakened. He looked around once more and then layed down again. It was still dark, he should get some sleep... His eyes suddenly popped open when he heard movement. Alarmed he sat straight.

"Who's there?"

The last thing he saw were a pair of familiar eyes before lightning struck him.


End file.
